“The Nomad” is a fortnightly published series where I talk to expat PR and Comms professionals, then delve into the insights which inform and help other people to live or to do business in an intercultural world.
When Anna Craven came to the UK in 2018 from Australia, it was a “big shock to discover the sheer volume of household names bandied around agencies in London”. Five years later, she has managed to find her feet. Currently a senior account director at PR agency STIR, Anna works on household brands such as Tropicana, McLaren Racing and Princess Cruises.
Looking back on her journey, “devouring UK telly” – from Love Island to Gogglebox – was one of the reasons that helped her form new connections in daily conversations. “It’s just important to read media and get an understanding of culture from all these different mediums; telly is a really easy way of doing that,” she says. She tells me about this series about the building of the Elizabeth line on the BBC, which “sounds boring, but I tell you, it is really interesting.” We talk about the Lewis Capaldi documentary on Netflix. Both of us share the same conundrum of why there’s an intense obsession with celebrities in the UK.
You did your bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications. Did you always know it was going to be PR?
I left school having done all humanities subjects back in the day which got me into this idea of wanting to do media and communications. I was interested in journalism – bringing out the stories of people and telling them. I was angling for journalism but I ended up doing a broader degree than journalism and was exposed to things like video production, PR and broadcast media. I quickly realised journalism was not the one for me, because as exciting as it was, I wasn’t really sure I would want to dip my toe into something so uncertain – there were a lot of media closures, which made me feel a bit nervous. I wanted something with a little bit more certainty about what my future would look like; it’s just naturally my personality. I like things a little bit more structured or a path that I can follow. In PR agencies, you start out as an intern or a junior account executive, and then you work up to an account manager or a senior account director, and then you could go into strategy, creative or a business function. It showed me where I could be if I took certain steps, which was reassuring.
What prompted you to relocate to the UK?
I was ready for a little bit of a challenge. For quite a few years – all through my studies and through the early years of my career – I’d seen all these amazing campaigns coming out of the UK, where the world’s most creative agencies and head offices of international brands are located. And it’s not to diminish what’s available in Sydney, because Sydney itself is a massive PR hub with extremely talented people and incredible agencies. But I just wanted to know what the industry was like in London. The agency I was at in Sydney was Frank Australia so it was an easy transition to head over to the Frank UK office at the time, which I’m so grateful for, because I already knew the culture of the company. It was just a transition into a new team with a new set of clients but in a new city.
How do you reflect on your journey so far?
On a professional level, I’m so grateful that I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing, talented people from creatives to strategists, to account people and agency leaders. I think it’s important that when you go to a new city, you get in touch with your connections and lean on them. No one will ever be annoyed when you ask for help, or if you ask for an introduction. My advice to expats is to make connections and keep them close. It always ends up coming to fruition, whether it’s six months or ten years down the track – and developing those mentor relationships is so important. That’s been a big part of my journey.
It’s also helped me realise that there’s nothing wrong with making your community and your friends at work; some of my closest friendships over here have come through work. That’s been an interesting part because I actually didn’t think I’d end up making friends at work, but you have so many shared interests. It was initially a challenge for me to try to find my people and my tribe when I was looking in the wrong place. So many of my amazing friends have come from work and that’s something I really value from the last few years.
What do you miss the most about Australia?
I would say the lifestyle. It’s a little bit more relaxed and more easy-going. There’s more kind of fun, straightforward sarcasm almost, in the way we interact with each other. I think when it comes to client meetings or interacting with my team, there’s a self-deprecation that I’m able to draw on which really helps forge bonds and connections because it removes a wall. People can see that you’re just human. I get that from the Australian culture. I do miss that in Sydney I can just go for a swim after work at the beach. I’m not a beachy girl but I miss that aspect of being around the outdoors without even intending to be all the time, whereas sometimes London can feel claustrophobic in its intensity.
What are the similarities and differences between the PR landscape in Australia and the UK?
There’s a similarity in the agency culture, at least with Sydney being such a PR hub, where the independent smaller PR agencies are really similar to the UK ones. It would be an easier transition for someone who’s already familiar with it. What has been interesting is that I thought it would be easy to jump into the media landscape here but it turned out to be a huge learning curve which probably took me a couple of years to get my head around. I would say to anyone planning to come over to just embrace the fact you’re probably going to have to do a little bit of homework. You’ll probably be asked to read the media, but you might have to go above and beyond to read and consume as much as you can from as many different places. That means reading The Sun as well as The Times or The Guardian, or your local newspaper. It was a bit nerdy of me, but I remember I made all these save folders on my Instagram and started saving content from UK influencers under different categories. I needed to get my head around it because I didn’t want to be brainstorming at work and have no idea. The other similarity is the tactics that get consumers excited such as picture-led stories, stunts or media partnerships. Here in the UK, there’s a much bigger fascination and reliance on celebrity culture, so the amount of times celebrities seem to be folded into a campaign just because it is useful for increasing awareness, interest or engagement is more frequent than in Australia. I would say maybe that’s because the pool is bigger but it’s something I haven’t ever quite got my head around. I wouldn’t say they are unnecessary in the Australian landscape but I don’t necessarily think they’re as vital as they are here in many ways.
What about the media relations aspect?
I thought before coming here that because there was way more media – more publications and more journalists – it would be easy to get the coverage. But actually, I think in Australia, you are able to develop really personal relationships because it’s a much smaller media pool. Coverage is easier to get in Australia because it’s smaller and also you are able to really carve out some amazing relationships that would last you years and years. Here in the UK, it can be overwhelming with the possibilities. So one thing that is important is choosing and selecting key people here and nurturing those relationships. It’s a must in PR anyway but when the pool is so big, being able to call up someone and ask them for some support is nice to have in your back pocket.
What are your criteria for an excellent creative campaign?
When it comes to creativity in terms of campaigns, I personally have always loved a really simple insight. If everything ladders up to one insight, it all makes sense. It means that you are tapping into something real and authentic and relevant for your target consumers. The more simple it can be, the better. You don’t want to have to explain what your campaign means; you just want to be able to say we’re doing this because of this insight in its most simple form.
What are your predictions for the PR industry?
We are seeing PR still being central and I feel like it will continue to be in terms of telling authentic stories. You have to create something compelling because it’s earned media. Brands will need to tell authentic stories and convince consumers to buy from them or engage with their services. Though, how it will be done is changing; tactics might change and develop over time. So for example, we’ve recently launched a content creation division called Stir in Motion in recognition of the importance and power of video content within earned and integrated campaigns. Seeing all disciplines come together ultimately to tell authentic stories is the way it will go. Celebrity culture may not end up being as big of a thing in the future.
“It’s always been about stirring emotion at its core,” she says. She talks passionately about what emotion can we tap into within a consumer, which is often relevant to insight, and then how we can convert it to an actual action that’s taken by the consumer. That’s been something she’s loved being involved in because it just speaks to exactly what she loves about creativity.
